Playwright August Wilson, Oct. 2

Playwright August Wilson, Oct. 2August Wilson, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright who sought to distill virtually the entire African-American experience in a cycle of 10 earthy, poetic and spiritually questing dramas, died on Oct. 2. He was 60. Wilson died in Seattle surrounded by his family, Dena Levitin, his personal assistant, said. Wilson was diagnosed with liver cancer in June, but the disease was too advanced for treatment. Wilson announced in late August that he had only a few months to live.

Playwright August Wilson, Oct. 2August Wilson, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright who sought to distill virtually the entire African-American experience in a cycle of 10 earthy, poetic and spiritually questing dramas, died on Oct. 2. He was 60. Wilson died in Seattle surrounded by his family, Dena Levitin, his personal assistant, said. Wilson was diagnosed with liver cancer in June, but the disease was too advanced for treatment. Wilson announced in late August that he had only a few months to live. (Los Angeles Times/Genaro Molina)

Playwright August Wilson, Oct. 2August Wilson, the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright who sought to distill virtually the entire African-American experience in a cycle of 10 earthy, poetic and spiritually questing dramas, died on Oct. 2. He was 60. Wilson died in Seattle surrounded by his family, Dena Levitin, his personal assistant, said. Wilson was diagnosed with liver cancer in June, but the disease was too advanced for treatment. Wilson announced in late August that he had only a few months to live.Los Angeles Times/Genaro Molina